Samsung made two big announcements back in March – not only did they reveal the new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge they also disclosed Samsung Pay to the mobile world. We are not sure exactly when Samsung Pay will be formally introduced and ready to use – most likely it will be released along with the new Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5, although Samsung may wait until IFA in the fall. It is currently in a live trial in South Korea where it will be deployed along with the US market. Once it is up and running in the US and South Korea, Samsung has plans to expand its usage throughout other markets across Europe and China.
Besides the ability to make payments from your device, you can use it at virtually any retailer because it allows you to pay with Near Field Communication (NFC) or by using Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST). The latter allows the merchant to accept payments from Samsung Pay without purchasing any costly equipment – if they accept a swiped credit card as payment, then they can accept payments from Samsung Pay. This opens up the use of Samsung Pay and almost guarantees its acceptance…about the only way Samsung Pay will not work is if you root your device. If you root your Samsung Pay ready smartphone, you will receive the display shown below…”Access Denied. Samsung Pay has been locked due to unauthorized modification. Call Customer Service.”
There are many users that like to root their devices, but if you plan to use Samsung Pay, then that will not be an option – you must choose between rooting or using Samsung Pay. With smartphones becoming ever more sophisticated and with security features being beefed up to prevent unauthorized hackers from stealing your personal information, rooting a phone can play havoc with the very programs designed to protect your device. Samsung does not want to take a chance on a hacker bypassing their security, especially when it comes to your bank account and credit card information. Are we reaching the point to where rooting will become a thing of the past?